Gene Marshall in Encore

I have finally gotten around to shooting Lynne Day's "Encore" outfit; couldn't find the proper earrings or bracelet, so I substituted the closest things I could find in Gene's jewelry drawer. This circa 1947 reminds me of something a Gibson Girl might wear. "Midnight Gamble" Gene stands in for the doll that originally came with "Encore."

From the story card:

After the war, many who served in times of trial faced an even bigger trial themselves: returning to a peace-time existence. Hollywood was aware of this and did its best to give moviegoers a shot of self-confidence, surrounded by good old-fashioned entertainment.



One of these movies was Encore, the story of a G.I. who had not only served on the battlefield but had found his true calling by volunteering in the USO. One of the highlights of the picture's first half was a cameo appearance by Gene Marshall, as herself, performing in a USO show at the front. She is the one who brings the G.I. onstage to sing an inspiring impromptu duet—and inspires him to become a star.



Now the G.I. is back in the States and a big hit. But not so big that he can't host a benefit for "all those folks who don't have it as good as me." The benefit is a smash—and who should be sitting in the front row, resplendent in silver and purple, but Gene Marshall herself.



The G.I. smiles at her. "Y'know, there's a really great lady sitting down in front that made all this possible for me. She picked a simple G.I. out of the audience and gave me the guts to go on. Gene Marshall—it's my turn to ask YOU to come up onstage!" Gene joins him to thunderous applause, and together they "encore" the song that started his career.



And one by one, all the audience members join in the stirring anthem to the American spirit—and the guts to go on.



See more Gene Marshall doll photos on my Gene Marshall doll web page.

Poppy Parker as Sabrina: Isn't It Romantic?

This particular “Sabrina” doll is called “Isn't It Romantic?” This outfit has become a highly coveted design in its previous incarnation by Madame Alexander for 16" dolls.

Here are a few shots of Audrey Hepburn, wearing this beautifully crafted gown, designed by Edith Head:





Thumbs up on the doll, hairdo, jewelry, and outfit.



Thumbs down (once again) on Integrity's gloves. With the claw-like fingers, chances are you will snag the gloves when attempting to put them on.



See more Audrey Hepburn doll photos on my Audrey doll web page.

Poppy As Sabrina: Most Sophisticated

I was able to snap off a few shots of the Poppy Parker as "Sabrina" line last night. Today's post shows a few poses from the "Most Sophisticated" set. I've never seen the movie, but as a lover of classic films, I recognize many of the outfits that Poppy wears in this set from the iconic Audrey Hepburn black and white publicity stills.

On the plus side: the use of the Poppy sculpt is a vast improvement over the face used in the "Breakfast at Tiffany's" line by Integrity. Poppy's sweet and innocent face is a better match to Audrey's image.



The outfits fit perfectly, and the accessories are out of the ballpark. The luggage (which actually opens!), the dog and leash, the purse...wow! So many possibilities for photographs!



I'm not a huge fan of the sculpt for Poppy's hands; the fingers look a little claw like...but on the plus side, I love the way that they can actually hold objects without having to use glue dots. The french manicure is a nice touch too on those tiny nails!

Overall, I highly recommend this set!

Follow my Gene Marshall, Madra Lord, Zita Charles, Violet Waters, Trent Osborn, Poppy Parker, and other classic movie star doll updates on Twitter. See more Audrey Hepburn doll photos on my Audrey doll web page.

Animal Magnetism Photo Shoot

Tonner's first Marilyn Monroe 16" doll has arrived and now officially been photographed! Based on a scene from "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (1953)...



this doll shows the outfit Marilyn wore when her very young suitor (played by George Winslow) told her, "You’ve got a lot of animal magnetism."



On the plus side...I love the articulation, rooted hair, the outfit, and the jewelry. Wow, the jewelry is amazing and extremely faithful to what Marilyn wore in the film!



Unfortunately, the doll itself just does not capture Marilyn. Here is an unretouched shot of the doll:



And with some retouching; I widened the mouth, raised the eyebrows, and did my best to soften her sculpted face. It seems that Tonner's artists went for a thinner and more sexy Marilyn. A large part of Marilyn's charm was her soft innocent nature.



Another before and after shot:



Even with some retouching, the doll misses the mark. I believe the sculpt would have to be redone to get a closer resemblance.



Before:



After:



The Franklin Mint's Marilyn sculpt perfectly captured Marilyn Monroe's beauty and vulnerability. I love it!



Do be careful if you decide to put the Tonner outfit on Franklin Mint's Marilyn; it is a VERY TIGHT fit. The dress won't hook in the back, and the jacket had to be coaxed to hook in the front.



This gorgeous outfit fits much better on Gene Marshall.





In terms of screen accuracy, the Tonner outfit blows away the version that Ashton Drake did years back for Gene. I do have to give very large kudos to Integrity; the body they did for Gene is one of the best articulated/poseable bodies done. Tonner's doll legs pretty much suck; they don't rotate at all, making model-type poses impossible.



Here's the Tonner version again, mixing the almost fatal drink that Marilyn was mixing up in the film.



Follow my Gene Marshall, Madra Lord, Zita Charles, Violet Waters, Trent Osborn, Poppy Parker, and other classic movie star doll updates on Twitter. See more Marilyn Monroe doll photos on my Marilyn Monroe doll web page.

Marilyn is on her way!

What could be a better way to celebrate Marilyn's birthday (today) than to know that she is on the way to my house?!? Can't wait for her to arrive so that I can photograph her. Wow...my first articulated Marilyn! Stay tuned...



Follow my Gene Marshall, Madra Lord, Zita Charles, Violet Waters, Trent Osborn, Poppy Parker, and other classic movie star doll updates on Twitter. See more Marilyn Monroe doll photos on my Marilyn Monroe doll web page.

More Cocoa Crisp

I wasn't crazy about the Integrity Genes vs. the Ashton-Drake Genes until I saw Cocoa Crisp. By far, she is my very favorite Jason Wu/Mel Odom collaboration, and that goes for both the doll itself and the outfit. I did another shoot with her (it was time to revisit!) last week. Here are the results.







Follow my Gene Marshall, Madra Lord, Zita Charles, Violet Waters, Trent Osborn, Poppy Parker, and other classic movie star doll updates on Twitter. See more Gene Marshall doll photos on my Gene Marshall doll web page.

Grace Kelly: Royal Honeymoon

Grace Kelly was a stunning beauty who had a brief but glorious career on the silver screen, which she gave up to become the Princess of Monaco. Here is the Franklin Mint portrait doll, wearing a replica of the outfit Grace wore on her Royal Honeymoon. Warning: I retouched the eyes and also shrunk the head a bit to make this doll look more realistic.



See more Grace Kelly portrait doll photos on my Grace Kelly doll web page.